Since Ogg Hall is on the green mile, it is only a matter of time before UW-Madison gets a new dorm. At a university with 30,000 undergrads and 30,001 ideas on what constitutes a desirable living space, what qualities do students want in their ideal dorm rooms?
Space is definitely the top concern, said Shannon Higgins, a UW-Madison sophomore who spent her freshman year living at Elizabeth Waters Hall.
'Our room was big enough that we could divide it into completely separate spaces: bedroom with beds and dressers and living area with couch and television, and desks,' she said. 'It was nice because my roommate and I could give each other a lot of privacy while still being in there.'
Desi Grasamke, an interior design consultant for Elegant Interiors in Middleton, agreed that space is a hot commodity among most 18- to 24-year-olds.
'I think that more so it's not just about ?? being in a small space. It's about utilizing what the space is that you have and making the most of it,' she said.
Plastic storage bins, said Grasamke, represent a popular trend in room furnishing. The bins, previously available only in white, now showcase a cadre of colors and patterns. According to Grasamke, the bins are meant to coordinate not only with each other, but with the entire room and are now made in such colors as lime green, orange and pink.
However, not all students want to decorate their rooms in bold colors and patterns. UW-Madison sophomore Ashley Adam said if given the opportunity, she would coordinate her room with either a forest-green scheme or something 'dark and warm.' On the other hand, UW-Madison junior Sonya Geiger says she would prefer to have her room be 'light blue.'
Regardless of color, most students say it is the little effects that turn four walls into a room.
'Definitely the posters and personal touches,' Adam said. 'I like to have pictures to make it look more personal.'
In Adam's opinion, making a room into a social hangout is complex. Places to sit, posters, pictures and a television are all very important factors in designing a communal hotspot.
'I don't like being in rooms where you just sit there waiting to be entertained,' she said. 'Not that it's that person's responsibility, but there's a reason people don't hang out in rooms [without things to do].'
But what factors can kill a room?
'It has a really small window,' Geiger said of her Barnard room. 'I can't people watch.'
But those with views are not without problems.
'I love the view, and with a huge picture window, views make a huge deal,' Adam said of her room. '[But] I'd have to say [I'd like] more light. Sometimes it gets really dark. I'd put a gigantic chandelier in the middle, if I could.'
Higgins cites the strict rules of Liz Waters as being her least favorite part of dorm life.
'Especially in the all-girls dorm, my boyfriend wasn't allowed to walk down the halls by himself at night to go to the bathroom,' she said. 'It got annoying.'
Although no dorm room is without faults, many students agree that, for the most part, simply having a room of their own is more than enough.
'I wanted my own space,' Geiger said. 'A little sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of campus.'
